Ghost in the Smoke Part 38

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters, Aaron Sorkin and his friends do.

Sam and Josh are caught in a hotel fire.

Spoilers: Everything up through The Leadership Breakfast (set two days later)

Archive: Anywhere you want, just please e-mail me Partnrpal@aol.com

Ghosts in the Smoke

By Mer

Part 38

Georgetown Hospital-Conference Room

"How does this look?" A sketch artist asked displaying a picture she had drawn.

"Shade in the eyebrows a little bit more." Toby ordered.

"And make the hair a little bit longer, it should be just past the shoulders." Abbey added.

"Like this?" The artist asked.

"Yeah that's her!" Toby exclaimed as the door to the conference room opened and a technician came in and handed something to Abbey.

"Now you are positive that this woman has done something to Josh and Sam." Detective James asked.

"Yes." Toby exclaimed.

"Mrs. Bartlet that is the lab report you asked for." The tech said his speech sort of drowned out by Toby's continued exclamation.

"Detective James and Agent Davidson, not only do I suspect that she had something to do with it, I have proof." Abbey stated as she scanned over the results.

"And just why is that?" Detective James asked snidely.

"Because it says here that both Josh and Sam have an experimental mind relaxing drug in their systems." Abbey replied.

"A mind-relaxing drug?" Detective James asked skeptically.

"Yeah, drugs like that are given to calm people down. Sam was very agitated when he was brought in and he was very delusional. They had to give him a drug to calm him down, before he went too far over the edge." Abbey explained.

"But he wasn't given a moderate drug was he?" Agent Davidson asked, more rhetorically than anything.

"No he wasn't. The drug he was given initially made him crazier because of such the frenzied state that he was already in. He had to be calmed down with a larger dosage." Abbey replied.

"So is that why he yo-yoed from crazy to okay to back to crazy?" Toby asked.

"Yeah, she was basically making him crazy and then making him not as a way of controlling him." Abbey replied.

"So she was keeping him crazy?" Detective James asked in a shocked voice.

"Yes it appears that way." Abbey replied.

"So how does that explain how the drug got in Josh's system? Hasn't he been in a coma since he got out of surgery?" Detective James questioned.

"It seems that way, but he was delusional when he was first brought in as well because he was in shock and he had a head injury. She might have been called in to help calm him down. I think that she gave him the drug as a test once he got out of surgery. However, she didn't account for his head injury and for the shock that his body was already in. The dosage that she gave him was too high of a dosage anyway and it must have sent him straight into the coma." Abbey replied.

"What are the side effects of the drug?" Agent Davidson asked.

"Seizures, memory loss, and apparently comas." Abbey replied bitterly.

"If those are the side affects how come the drug has won FDA approval?" Detective James asked.

"It hasn't. In fact, it has been pretty much assured that the drug would never be approved so the number of doctors using it in experimental studies has dropped dramatically. No doctor likes to continue to use a drug that will never gain approval." Abbey replied.

"Why wouldn't the drug still be given a chance?" Detective James asked.

"Because in many cases the drug has proven to be lethal." Abbey replied slowly.

"Lethal like the amount that Josh was given?" Toby asked.

"It didn't even have to be that high." Abbey replied grimly.

"So are you saying that the dosages that they were both given are lethal?" Agent Davidson asked.

"That is exactly what I am saying. They both have gone into comas because the drug has poisoned their systems. It's only a matter of time…" Abbey began but she caught herself.

"It's only a matter of time what?" Toby demanded.

"If the drug isn't flushed out of their system they will die." Abbey replied.

"What will happen if the drug is flushed out of their system? I mean will they come out of their coma's?" Agent Davidson asked.

"Not necessary. Sam has some head trauma due to the two seizures, and Josh already had a brain injury before the poisoning. There is no guarantee that they will wake up even then." Abbey replied softly.

"You mean they could remain in a coma for the rest of their lives? Isn't there anything we can do?" Toby asked angrily.

"I'm afraid all we can do is pray." Abbey replied.

"How did the mysterious Doctor Bleuer get the drug in the first place?" Detective James asked.

"That I don't know." Abbey replied truthfully.

"And how do you know so much about the drug?" Detective James accused.

"Because it's in the New England Journal of Medicine. I can get you a copy if you want." Abbey snapped, as Toby jumped up from the table.

"And just where do you think you are going?" Detective James asked Toby.

"I am not going to sit here and listen to you accuse the first lady of trying to kill two of her husbands top advisors." Toby replied as he stormed out of the room.

Leo's Office

"Mrs. Seaborn, I don't think that you understand the situation. Sam survived the fire, but he is in a coma, which he may never wake up from. The White House is willing to fly you and your husband out here to see him…I can sympathize with the martial trouble you are experiencing with your husband, but can't you put that aside for Sam's sake? Okay, goodbye." Leo said as he hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Jed asked once Leo wearily hung up the phone.

"God, Jed do you have to come in a scare me like that?" Leo said causing Jed to smile.

"Relax. What's up?" Jed asked.

"Sam's folks have been fighting so they don't think now is the best time to visit him." Leo replied.

"Sam doesn't know does he?" Jed inquired.

"Apparently not. I guess their relationship is falling apart but they don't want Sam to know yet." Leo replied.

"They think that even a comatose Sam would be able to tell?" Jed asked.

"I guess." Leo replied.

"That's a shame." Jed stated quietly.

"I know." Leo answered.

"Have you seen C.J? They really grilled her at the briefing." Jed asked.

"No, I think Carol said that she was going to go straight to the hospital when it was over. Why what's on your mind?" Leo asked.

"Because the reporters brought up a good point. Is there extra protection on the rest of the senior staff?" Jed asked.

"I haven't really given it much thought." Leo answered truthfully.

"Shouldn't we though? I mean I already lost two of my most trusted staff members and I can't afford to lose anymore." Jed replied.

"Like I said I don't know." Leo replied.

"Leo, have you even gone home since it happened?" Jed asked.

"I…" Leo began but Jed stopped him.

"Leo go home. Take a nap. I know how they both mean to you, but you are no good to me if you are exhausted." Jed replied.

"You sound like Abbey." Leo remarked.

"Good, maybe you'll listen to me then. Leo, I can't afford to lose you too. I know that you are blaming yourself, but don't. There was no way that you could have known." Jed stated firmly.

"I should've known something was up. It is my job to know those things." Leo protested.

"Leo, no one could have predicted it." Jed answered.

"I feel like I owe it to them to make it up to them." Leo answered.

"Get some sleep. Go up to the residence if you don't want to go home. Just for heaven's sake get a little rest before I have to sic my wife on you." Jed replied.

"Yes sir." Leo mock saluted.

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